What you are describing (a collection of waves of slightly differing frequencies) is usually called a "wave packet", and yes, it has an approximately finite extent. It's not crazy to talk about it's extent--they are talked about in one real application, which is radar. A radar pulse is finite in both time and frequency (to within the usual approximations) so the expanding wave packet indeed has a length that can sometimes matter in detecting a target.Shyan said:As you know,a pure sine wave extends infinitely in both directions and a wave which is the composition of some different frequencies,has a limited extent.Does it mean that such a wave is a pulse moving in space or it has limited range?(I know its crazy to talk about the range of light,but I've heard such interpretation from a professor)
thanks
The uncertainty principle in classical optics is a fundamental principle in physics that states that the position and momentum of a particle cannot be simultaneously measured with complete accuracy. This means that the more precisely the position of a particle is known, the less precisely its momentum can be known, and vice versa.
In classical optics, the uncertainty principle applies to the measurements of the position and momentum of a photon. This means that it is impossible to know the exact position and momentum of a photon at the same time, and the more accurately one measurement is known, the less accurate the other will be.
The uncertainty principle is important in classical optics because it sets a limit on how accurately we can measure the properties of particles, such as photons. It also has implications for the behavior of light, as it shows that light behaves as both a wave and a particle.
The uncertainty principle in classical optics is similar to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics. However, in classical optics, the uncertainty is due to limitations in measurement techniques, while in quantum mechanics, it is a fundamental property of particles.
The uncertainty principle has implications for the design of optical systems, as it means that there will always be some level of uncertainty in the measurements of position and momentum. This must be taken into account when designing and calibrating precision optical instruments.